1. The revision of public service support staff establishments at all public schools for the period 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 was conducted in line with the approved norms and standards.

2. The aforementioned revisions were conducted on the following principles:

  1. maintaining stability at schools for 2018;
  2. determining the financial impact of increasing public service support staff allocations in line with budgetary provisions for the 2018/19 medium term expenditure framework; and
  3. the rationalisation of the allocation of public service support staff to schools that lost learners, which requires an alignment of the public service support staff allocations to the approved norms and standards.
3. Given the current fiscal challenges in the compensation of employees budget of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), approval is granted for the retention of the 2017/18 public service staff allocations at schools that maintained/increased their learner numbers for the period 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. Schools that stand to lose posts due to learner decreases will receive adjusted public service support allocations for the period 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019.

4. Public schools that stand to lose public service support staff posts on 01 April 2018 and who have contract employees in the affected posts, may not extend the contracts of the affected employees beyond 31 March 2018. Principals must inform contract employees by 30 November 2017 at the latest that due to the abolishment of posts, their contracts will not be extended beyond 31 March 2018.

5. Public schools that stand to lose public service support staff posts on 01 April 2018 and who have permanent employees in the affected posts, will have to undergo an excess declaration process similar to that followed for educators. All staff declared in excess will be matched and placed against vacant posts at other schools. The process of matching and placing will be managed by district offices. All excess employees that cannot be matched and placed will remain at their schools without changes to their conditions of service.

6. In the event that permanent posts become vacant, employees in excess will receive preference for matching and placing into such posts before approval will be granted to fill the posts on a contract basis.

7. Only in the event where an ordinary public and/or special public school qualifies for an additional public service support staff post(s), within the approved norms and standards, and has an excess public service employee(s), who is willing to be placed at the school, will the WCED approve the creation of a public service support staff post in order to absorb the excess public service employee(s).

8. The 2018 public service support staff establishments for public schools will be published on CEMIS under "Administration" on 29 September 2017.


SIGNED: BK SCHREUDER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2017:09:23